In the News (Fri 18 Aug 17)

It was founded on February 6, 1898, in Seattle, Washington, by a group of six theater owners, including John Cort (the first president), brothers John W. and Tim J. Considine, Harry Leavitt, Mose Goldsmith, and Arthur Williams.

Originally, membership in the order was restricted to whites only; this led to a controversy in Milwaukee in the late 1960s, when a radical Roman Catholic priest, Father James Groppi, discovered that many local judges were members of the order.

Trial Lawyers for Public Justice filed a sex discrimination lawsuit on February 25, 2003, in Massachusetts Superior Court in Plymouth County against the national headquarters and a local chapter of the FraternalOrder of Eagles.

The Eagles’ national organization, a Washington State corporation which claims 1.25 million members across the U.S. and Canada, decided to admit women in 1995, only to reverse course in 1998 and again exclude women.

In 2000, the Eagles’ Lakeville, Massachusetts chapter told Plaintiffs Joan Moran and Mary Chichester that they could not be admitted as full members because of their gender.

On February 6th,1898 the FraternalOrder of Eagles was founded by six theater owners sitting on a pile of lumber in Moran's shipyard in Seattle Washington.

A few weeks later as their numbers grew they chose the Bald Eagle as their official emblem and changed the name to "The FraternalOrder of Eagles." The membership formed a Grand Aerie in April 1898, secured a charter, drew up a constitution and by-laws and elected it's first president, John Cort.

Most of the first Eagle members were connected with the theatre, actors, stagehands, playwrights, etc., and as they went on tour they carried the story of the new order with them across the United States and Canada.

The Eagles presented the gift to Robert Bar, M.D., professor and director of the Division of Endocrinology in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, at the Eagles' annual meeting in Cedar Rapids in late June.

The State FraternalOrder of Eagles, a charitable organization formed more than 100 years ago with 40 clubs in Iowa and 1,700 nationwide, selected diabetes management as their philanthropic project for the past year.

Pete Schmieding, past president of the State FraternalOrder of Eagles, said his organization chose to support diabetes research because the disease is very common.

fraternal organization was represented only in the result of the work and not in the means by which it was accomplished.

A fraternal organization is not liable for unemployment compensation taxes covering members of orchestras which furnished music for dances given by the fraternal organization, where it conclusively appears that the orchestra leaders were independent contractors and that the musicians were their employees and not employees of the fraternal organization.

The undisputed facts are these: Appellant is a fraternal organization incorporated under the laws of the state of Washington and affiliated with the Grand Aerie of the FraternalOrder of Eagles, of which appellant is the parent member.

It was over 100 years ago on February 6th, 1898 the FraternalOrder of Eagles was founded by six theater owners sitting on a pile of lumber in Moran's shipyard in Seattle Washington.

The order was unique in it's concept of brotherhood and it's early success has been attributed to it's establishment of a sick and funeral benefit (no Eagle was ever buried in a "Potter's Field"), along with provisions for an Aerie physician and other "fringe benefits", unknown in other fraternal organizations up to that time.

Eagle, “...Pride shone on every woman’s face as she said, in part: ‘The Ladies’ Auxiliaries of this Fraternity thank you, our Brothers, for everything that you have done for us through the years.

Although we do not agree that the Public Accommodation Act is as narrow as the Eagles perceive, we conclude that the court erred in resolving this case on summary judgment; the question whether the FraternalOrder of the Eagles is a "place of public accommodation" presents a disputed issue of material fact.

The Eagles are not, at least for purposes of this case, a "bona fide club or accommodation which is in its nature distinctly private." Some of their activities, including the furnishing of food, beverages, and social amusements, are not distinctly private and, in fact, the evidence shows that those activities are open to both genders.

The Eagles acknowledge the general applicability of the rule, but they point out that we have in the past recognized that "[t]he law of the case doctrine is essentially one of judicial economy and judicial discretion," State v.

The Eagles contend that "the [a]ct cannot be constitutionally applied to the Eagles' membership policy, because a particularized theistic religious belief is a prerequisite to membership * * *." The trial court ruled that this case does not implicate the Eagles' religious freedom because, in essence, they are not being compelled to admit atheists.

As the Eagles aptly point out in their brief, fraternalorders became extremely popular in the nation in the first half of the nineteenth century as its population spread west.

However, the Eagles also have religious elements that are inherent in, not incidental to, the organization.

The initiation ceremony asserts that the teachings of the order, to which the candidate pledges himself before an altar, "will in no way conflict with any civic or religious duty." Yet the prescribed rituals and prayers present precisely such a conflict.

Eagles' ceremony holds the Bible in high regard, but without regard to the Savior who is the focus of that Bible.

I conclude, therefore, that, in that context, the terms 'fraternal organization' and 'distinctly private' are sufficiently ambiguous to warrant this court to construe the exception -- in light of the liberal purpose of the statute -- strictly and in a way that reinforces accomplishment of that purpose.

And this conclusion is arrived at in light of the requirement that the FraternalOrder of Eagles Grand and State Aeries have the burden of convincing this Court that the FraternalOrder of Eagles comes within the exception.

Because this appeal arises from a trial court order granting summary judgment, this court reviews the order of summary judgment de novo, engaging in the same inquiry as the trial court, which is to consider all facts submitted in the record and reasonable inferences in a light most favorable to the nonmoving party.

This case requires us to decide whether the FraternalOrder of Eagles' policy of barring women from membership in its "aeries" violates the Public Accommodations Act, former ORS 30.670 to 30.685 (1999), and if so, whether enforcement of the act so as to compel the organization to consider applications from women would be unconstitutional.

Since February of 1898, when the Order was founded by six theater owners in a Seattle waterfront shipyard, the Eagles not only welcomed the average man as a member, but fought for his right to a life of dignity and self-respect.

February 6 -- the anniversary of the founding of the Eagles -- is a road marker, pointing the way to the future as well as commemorating the progress that we have made.

The National FOE policy, however, states that only men may become full members with voting rights, while women who want to participate in Eagles activities are relegated to joining the ladies' auxiliary.

When the National FOE threatened to revoke Flat Rock's charter because it treated women as equals, the local chapter and three of its members sued, claiming that the national policy violates Michigan Civil Rights Law.

FOE or ladies' auxiliary members who have questions about admitting women to Michigan chapters may contact ACLU of Michigan legal director Michael J. Steinberg at msteinberg@aclumich.org.

www.aclu.org /womensrights/discrim/20103prs20050712.html (564 words)

Section 301-461 Fraternal Order of the Eagles, special(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-25)

Any member of the FraternalOrder of Eagles of the state of Missouri may receive special license plates as prescribed in this section after an annual payment of an emblem-use authorization fee to the FraternalOrder of Eagles.

The FraternalOrder of Eagles hereby authorizes the use of its official emblem to be affixed on multiyear personalized license plates as provided in this section.

Any contribution to the FraternalOrder of Eagles derived from this section, except reasonable administrative costs, shall be used solely for the educational programs or purposes of the FraternalOrder of Eagles.

"The pen I am presenting to the order is a symbol of my approval of the Fraternity's vision and courage," said Roosevelt when he signed the Social Security Act on Aug. 14, 1935, and gave the pen he used to the Eagles.

For Eagledom, more than anything else, is a dream -- the dream that ordinary men and women everywhere are entitled to and shall enjoy the right to life, to liberty and to the pursuit of happiness with some reasonable chance of catching up to it in their lifetimes.

The 1951 Grand Aerie Convention was a watershed event in the history of the FraternalOrder of Eagles.

The Order was founded in February 1898 by six theater owners in a waterfront shipyard in Seattle, Washington and actively crusaded for a Workmen's Compensation Act, Mothers' Pensions, Old Age Pensions, and Social Security Laws.

The FraternalOrder of Eagles #2224 opened in Medina in 1936 and has grown into one of the largest organizations in the city with a membership that numbers approximately two thousand with an additional six hundred auxiliary members.

Once you're a member of the FraternalOrder of Eagles #2224, you are welcome at over 1,700 Aeries throughout the United States and Canada.

This gift is the Eagles' first-ever national award to a Maine organization, and was given at the urging of past State President Emma Dumont of Westbrook, Auxiliary #2977, and Grand Aerie #3801 Trustee Thomas McGrath of Vergennes, Vermont.

The FraternalOrder of Eagles is an international, non-profit organization that supports research in cancer, diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease.

Previous gifts from the Eagles to The Jackson Laboratory have included support for cancer research from the Rumford Falls Aerie #1248 and from the Brewer Ladies Auxiliary #3177.

The grand madam president of the FraternalOrder of Eagles visited the Arkansas Cancer Research Center (ACRC) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) last week.

Bettie Williams-Clark of Jonesboro, Ark., grand madam president of the national order, visited ACRC to announce that the organization has designated the cancer center a national charity.

The order recently contributed $10,000 to ACRC for research by Myrna Rosenfeld, M.D., Ph.D., and Josep Dalmau, M.D., Ph.D. Ralph Sanderson, Ph.D., director of basic research at the Arkansas Cancer Research Center, showed Bettie Williams-Clark, grand madam president of the FraternalOrder of the Eagles, one of the ACRC laboratories.

Epigenetics is a field of study that aims to turn on genes in the body that are erroneously turned off during the body’s development, and is a new approach to the treatment of cancer, aging and inherited diseases.

Nancy Magnuson, a professor of molecular biology at WSU and a member of the CPRC, has received several gifts from the Eagles over the years and this time around was awarded $5,000 for her work in cancer.

After three years of discussions, the FOE employed the artists of Brown and Bigelow to prepare a decorative 20x26 inch version of the Ten Commandments that would be suitable for framing.

In return, the FOE urged its members to support The Ten Commandments movie as it was released in cities across the country.

Many attributes of the paper versions were used including the American flag, an eagle, two tablets of the Ten Commandments at the top, the All-Seeing Eye of God super-imposed on a triangle, two Stars of David, and the Greek letters of Chi Rho.

Deciding that working together was better than working against each other, they form an organization they call "The Order of Good Things" and within a few short weeks, change its name to "The FraternalOrder of Eagles," and choose the bald eagle as their official emblem.

The concept of brotherhood, the establishment of a sick and funeral benefit (no Eagle will ever be buried in a "Potters Field"), provisions for an Aerie physician, and other concepts that are unknown in other fraternal organizations at the time result in rapid growth and acceptance nation-wide.

The Plattsmouth chapter of the FraternalOrder of Eagles donated the marker in 1965.

In 2001, a divided U.S. Supreme Court refused to review a lower court order that said a Ten Commandments display in Elkhart, Ind., had to be taken down.

Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore placed a 2 1/2-ton Ten Commandments monument in the rotunda of the Alabama Judicial Building in 2001 and was ousted last year for refusing to obey a federal court order to remove it.